Dig out something pink, round up your favourite women and get ready to dance.

Lane Cove local Françoise “Possum” Ballard is a Northwood girl through and through. She went to Lane Cove Public School from Kindy to Year 6 in the 80s and reckons the uniform hasn’t changed since. She met Mandy at high school, and last year their daughters graduated from that same school together.

Both women are breast cancer survivors. After recently losing a close friend to the disease, they decided to combine forces and bring the community together for Possum’s Pink Pony Club, a girls’ only dance night raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF).

It’s a celebration, but also a tribute. On their fundraising page, the pair write that “We will dance for the precious lives lost to Breast Cancer”, remembering the love those women brought to their lives.

Their page notes that 56 Australians are diagnosed with breast cancer every day, and nine die from it. Every cent of profit from the night goes to the NBCF to fund breast cancer research, working towards a future with zero deaths from the disease. The pair have set themselves a fundraising goal of $5,000.

Pink sparks after dark

The night runs from 7pm on Saturday 17 October at Shark Bar at The New Brighton Hotel on The Corso in Manly. The theme is “Be a Pink Spark After Dark”, and the brief is simple: music, dancing, friendship and fun. DJ Mands will be on the decks playing the hits, and guests are asked to wear a splash of pink.

The ITC team is planning to be there, and we know plenty of others from the local area have already booked. It looks like it’ll be a really fun night, so we hope to see lots of you on the dance floor.

A raffle worth getting into

Each dance ticket includes one raffle entry, and extra tickets are $10 each. Prizes have been donated by businesses and supporters and will be drawn on the night, but you don’t need to be there to win. Winners will be contacted by phone or email.

The prizes:

• Three nights at Justine’s on Jarrett’s guesthouse, Kangaroo Valley ($1,600)
• One month of personal training at Vision Willoughby ($800)
• Gold and diamond earrings from House of McKinley ($650)
• Photography package from Verve Portraits ($650)
• Case of premium wine from Vinarchy Wines ($300)
• Bare Beauty House voucher, Manly ($200)
• 90 minute reflexology session from Silver Sole Reflexology ($150)
• 60 minute lymphatic massage or naturopathy consult from Health Matters ($150)
• Aqua Vitae Day Spa Manly voucher ($130)
• Taronga Zoo entry tickets ($110)

That’s more than $4,700 in prizes.

Can’t make it?

You can still support the cause. Raffle tickets can be bought without attending, and tax-deductible donations over $2 can be made through the ticket page or the event’s NBCF fundraising page.

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